Sloane Knows - Jay Williams talks Duke Basketball, Cooper Flagg, Coach K, NIL & NBA

Hi, I'm slum and I know basketball. Today's guest is none other than Duke Legend. Depends on how you know him,

So I don't know if you're still First off, it wasn't that really really long ago.

Let's say I'm not like in my sixties here.

True, but it was BC, which is or BL before Lebron, before.

Labron, before Christ Did you go BC?

Every gonna say BC, But you know what, I ca'd do BL before Lebron. That's the thing now, Oh it's my thing, BL before Lebron. I mean, jesus, we got it. Okay, So back then, when you were seventeen, so many years ago, in high school, you played volleyball, soccer, and chess in addition to basketball, I think so many high school kids, you know, have to make this big decision what sport are you going to play? How did you decide that you wanted to focus on basketball?

I think it didn't really happen unto my junior year, which is kind of like shocking because I played everything.

But also I see kids that specialize.

In like one individual sport, and I think how much that sucks? Ye, right, because I think the amount of pressure that you're putting yourself, Like, you know, I'm less than point zero zero zero one percent of the world that became a pro get alone a top ten pick, which is point zero one of that point zero zero zero one, Right, So like playing soccer really helped me with my like my feet like coordination, right, Like playing bolly ball helped me learn how to jump the right way?

I always see things ahead? Yeah, you know, like I'm able.

I even think situations like being like we had dinner last night, I'm like, okay, cool, Like player A is going to sit here, player C is going to walk in. I'm going to position the conversation this way. I want to see how she reacts to it. If she reacts to it this way, I could play this move. If she reacts that way, I need to play that move. So I'm constantly it's just spinning and that's chess.

Yeah. I think you're the smartest person I've ever met.

I don't know about that. Your dad's pretty smart.

Yeah, okay, like Albert, I'm frien smart too, But yeah, you got something going there. Okay, So what was your favorite team growing up?

What sport?

Basketball?

I was a New Jersey Nets fan that transitioned to the Brooklyn Nets fan. Unfortunately, Katie's you know, shoe being sized sixteen was just a little bit too big for us to reach.

Gloria, My question is, because you are a New Jersey kid, were you upset by the transition to Brooklyn or you have stuck with them?

Well, okay, can I just so I literally when Katie tore his achilles, I was on the plane with him, flying back from literally Toronto back to New York with him and Rich Climban, and just remember that moment because.

Everybody's like, what are you going to do?

Right?

And how they had diagnosed him, you know, how they told him that really that couldn't really happen, and then that did happen, So like I watched him at this inflection point, so like just watching Katie then go with Kyrie and then nim Land James Harden. You know, actually I got a good investment in because before Katie actually committed, I bought court side seats out of great price, and I inflated that price and I was able to sell out tickets.

But it was just.

Really cool to actually experience like all those guys and like Brooklyn being the thing, like jay Z was at games, Joe and Clara Cy We're at games and then we just suck, do you?

I mean, I see a lot of team owners that don't go to their team game.

Bomb does.

That's Steve though.

You have to give him credit for that. He's always there for sure.

All right, So in who's your favorite team?

By the way, I'm Warriors.

You're Warriors. Have you ever did an interview with Steph Nobody?

Do you want to?

We need to make that come on?

That was my That's my last question. Jay. Here's the thing with you being so smart is is that I was going to ask you later, like who do you want to help me get on my podcast?

Anybody you want. I mean I think might be better than that would or.

Like a couple's like the two of them with me, I know, right, I mean slow nos. I just have these thoughts and this is what happens, all right. So when you played in the McDonald's All American Game and night ninety nine, four other Duke commits played in that game, which is pretty special, sort of showing the longevity of how Duke has always just dominated high school recruits pretty much. I want to know what your highlight from that game was?

Probably, uh, well, first off, like Carlos Boozer, who is a printed All Star with the Utah Jazz play with Darren Williams. Uh, you know, he turned him more into a power forward, but I do was shooting three from half court with me. He was more of a guard like t Mac coming out of Juno Alaska, Like how.

Many players come out of Oska? Seriously?

And then we have Mike Dunleyvy who's now the GM with the Golden State Wars, which is the plug for can.

You please tell him a trade for zachal Line. I'm just bored. We're so bad right now, Zach?

Is that the answer?

Though? I think I mean, I think he's more of the answer than Jimmy.

No, I definitely don't want Jimmy on Golden State.

We make a move, I think it's Zach. Otherwise I'd rather just keep our young core and just really pray that Jonathan Kaminga decides.

So you're going to get back to Chicago for Zach, I mean, I think you can do.

It without him. I think it's loone Pods and then I think you go Moses Moody and I guess you maybe, oh, buddy Heel, and then I guess you maybe. I don't think we need that. I mean, Zach Line hasn't been that has been an All Star for years, Like he doesn't need five players.

I love that.

I just wonder how Zach fits into like the continuity in which they were because they don't. There's yeah, but it's not like Wiggs even turns like a catch and shoot catch turn driving player Zach like in his hands.

I don't know.

It just depends upon how you build a schematically around stuff.

Let's get Mike on here too, and we'll all have this conversation.

That's what I'm saying. So him and case Sanders, I think the thing. I I was up in the dunk contest after the first round, but I ran out of dunks and I literally faked an injury. I said that I hurt my wrists so I couldn't dunk.

Learning experience for kids is it?

Well, I mean you got to get out while you're ahead. Okay, That's how I look at Like, It's like I'm competing against giants.

Let's be honest. I'm six to two.

I'm like Muggsy Bows compared to like Carlos and Mike and all these guys. So like, what really do I have left?

Okay, gotcha. So what I'm curious about is like when you're.

Like, that's not a great lesson for kids.

I got to defend my children up here, Like for your kids, you're used to be listening. I'm a kid.

Yeah, what I'm saying, if you're leading and then you run out of stuff, it doesn't means that you don't try. Just me, it's like, hey, look I'm tapped out. Yeah, you gotta know thself.

Yeah. My parents used to get mad at me because, like in my math test, if I didn't know a question, I would just start sobbing and having a panic attack. And I feel like you're basically encouraging me to continue to do that on test.

Wow, that translation is not what I was.

That's what I'm saying, Jay.

I'm glad we're talking this through.

Like when I hear you're like an idol to me. So when I hear you say, oh, I faked an injury, I'm like, I could do that.

Well. The injury was for a slam dunk contest.

The injury wasn't for like a game or a math test, or it wasn't something like trivial.

It was like a random.

Slam mogged me. But you just mogged me. Look it up later, he'll figure it out.

I know you work on that stuff.

So high school stars today are celebrities. Let's be real there.

So just tell me what mog means real quick though.

Oh yeah, okay, Well I actually try to explain to the other. So MOG is like when you just okay, let me. So MOG is like, like, I'm it's when you're better than someone else's something. So let's say you said or I say, for instance, oh I met Buddy healed yesterday. I took a picture of him, and you're like, oh, I met Michael Jordan, you just mogged me.

You want it? Yeah, exactly.

So now let's go back to my question. It's really getting me off. That's twins always. Okay, So high school stars are celebrities, they're social media stars. Someone then get a little carried away. Let's take Mike Williams as an example. We thought that we were going to see him in the NBA. Now he's still in college at now his second school, because he was basically had the platform of

As the question, when you get done with your podcast and then you post the podcast, what's the first thing you look at to measure whether that particular post was successful in like, yeah, right, Fame is one hell of a drug.

Is addictive.

Yeah, And the problem is the more fame and attention you get, the more that kind of starts to fill in things within your ego. And I wonder for a guy like Mikey or for anybody like how young people deal with that, right, Like you gotta imagine like my motorcycle accident, Like you know how many times that people

Right, if people disagree to me, like you're stupid.

You know in basketball, you probably hit your head too hard in that motorcycle accident. Or sometimes when I said, hey, look for North Carolina, they're fragmented right now, they're not playing together. I think they lack leadership. Well do you know about leadership? You should have died in your moscycle accident.

You're gonna look at that. So I think it's a challenge for any young person.

Yeah, totally. You just have to ignore it, put it aside, and just grind.

None of those people are actually the ones that come up to you, right, the people that say, oh, Jay, you should have killed yourself.

In most when I see them, like Jay, I love you, I'm like, oh cool. Yeah, so you just don't want to say it to my face totally, all right.

So Also, when you were in high school, I know that one of your nicknames was Jadab yep, and you know there's Jadab now on the Thunder. I'm curious, do you think that he's done a good job carrying on your nickname.

I think he's exceeded my nickname. I don't think I've ever been recognized as Jadub. I think people now more so call me j will true. And then there was that whole thing, like you know, when I'm here, they still call me Jason because my name is Jason. But when I leave these confines they call me ja because one guy like shot his chauffeur.

The other guy had.

Like, you know, white boy tattooing his knuckles, even though I think honestly he was the real Jason Williams Sacramento. He was probably the realest.

One there was. Yeah, suppressing, but it's honest.

I love your honesty. That's a good lesson to teach kids. You're honest.

I'm glad we're tying that background.

Look at that. I always do. So you would offers from Florida State, San Diego State. What about Duke made you choose the Blue Devils?

Actually I had offers too, from like a Notre Dame Yale in Georgetown, and.

You're an academic, so that means something new.

This this dude got me here, Like it's I played for the greatest coach of all time. Now, whether you want to debate that between him and John Wooden.

It's fine. I don't want a debate.

Okay, let me tell you what he did.

I think it's really interesting when you mean an adult, does an adult call you slum slum?

Okay? So when I came in to meet coach K, I said, I sit in his room.

My mom and my dad and my parents are sitting in these two small chairs next to me, and I'm sitting like in a fold up chair like this, and Coach k sitting like in a grandfather chair and he goes, hey, David, Hey, Althia, my parents first name is nice to meet you, and he goes to like, mister Williams. Like so automatically he started a dress. I'm sixteen, He's addressing me as an adult. It was the first time I felt automatically accountable with

Wow, I need you to act like an adult. I'm going to treat you like an adult.

So I think just the way he made me think about the game, the way he made me see the game, and the way he spoke to me, honestly was different than any other person who's spoken to me in my life.

Yeah.

No, I hear that. And especially as a kid who I try to put myself in mature adult rooms, it really is true. Like when an adult treats you like you are mature, it really means so much.

What's the first thing you.

Do when you go into a room full of adults who are powerful introduce myself?

Yeah, I just watch and it's from coach. I watch mannerisms.

Yeah, I see who's outgoing, who's not outgoing, who's a little bit more reclusive. I always go more towards a person who feels a little bit more reclusive. So I think people who actually take a quick survey instead of.

Just hey i'm here. Yeah, it's always interesting.

Yeah, first scan and then yeah, I'm going to take that advice. So when you committed to Duke in nineteen ninety, so did Carlos Boozer, like you said, you played with him the McDonald's All American Game. Did him coming here have anything to do with you choosing the school? Were you excited to team up with him?

I mean, how about this?

So my sophomore year, my junior year, when I leave because I graduate school year early, I was a second pick. Mike Dunlevy was a third pick. Carlos Boozer was like in the mid thirties, but he turned out to be a Preennial All Star.

Crazy. He was the second rounder.

Chris Douhan played fifteen years in the NBA. Dante Jones played ten years in the NBA. We just had a crazy squad, like we were loaded with talents.

So yeah, it's like I wasn't trying to come to a program like I'm going to be as a savior. Everybody follow me.

Yeah.

I came to Duke thinking I wasn't going to start. I thought William Avery was going to be here. So I was like, how do I my home Intalit was like, how do I take this starting spot from him?

Yeah?

And then he left and then it's like I was given the ball and the rest of his history.

If your Duke squad mashed up against today twenty five, really.

Smack them, Cooper's not many points, is Coop Cooper is not going to do anything agase Shane Batty.

Shane Batty was six eight two time National Defensive Player of the Year Swiss Arma n I can defend that. I mean he was Shane Batty won a World championship with Lebron and d Wade from Miami and made critical plays down the stretch. So like, I think this Duke team is super special, but I.

Think we had we were older too, though, you know what I mean, we were more mature. Cooper's a child like Cooper special, I think as a freshman, right, But I also think our team like we were sophomores and seniors, different than having you know, four freshmen and malawatching. These guys are great, but they're not experienced, which is in a different We're in a different level.

Huh totally. And also I mean in college. Well, now one and done is the goal. Like I've interviewed so many guys who I've I've learned now that because at the beginning I always thought, oh, like, if you're good, you're gonna go one and done. But now I'm starting to understand that sometimes that extra year is the make or break and that's what leads you to being successful in the which I think is really interesting.

Well, I mean I think so.

I mean this is a basketball pole, which I love. Kind of you're ready to geek out in basketball? Okay, I'm gonna put you on game on this. So why would it be beneficial for somebody to leave school early with the way the league is actually organized right now?

Oh gosh, this is I didn't think this is going to be like school.

No, it's not school is see, you gotta stop it with school. This is adults having a real conversation about sport that we both love.

Well, I think the money I mean, there's.

What what about the money? Are the are the contracts that huge?

They can be? But it's also okay, well it's different now because of nil I guess, but if we call this five years ago, it wasn't just the money, it was also the endorsements. I think it's the facilities. Not every kid is going to a school like Duke that has NBA level facilities. A lot of people need coaches and facilities and gyms and doctors that are NBA level.

I think that's a really good answer. I also will say it's because of a salary cap. So the salary cap is like an internship. Yeah, so like the NBA game is so much different than the college game, So why wouldn't you want to get out as soon as possible at a younger age to get to your next contract.

Essentially, you're going to learn. They're going to pay you to learn for three years.

Until you get your bigger contract, right, which is typically like then it's like the rookie max if you're able to get that. But before the salary cap, kids were actually incentivized because when we have like big Dog Glenn Robinson, they were signing five year seventy eighty.

Million dollar deals out of college.

Yeah, right, So it's just a different thing. So, like my thing is, it's all about how quickly can you start? Now with nil, you have a little bit more leeway because if you can make two or three million dollars in college, like, but still it stops you from getting to your next contract sooner. Which how many contracts are you trying to get in the lifespan of your playing career?

Not that many. So my next question is, let's say we're just going to be a random person that we're making up in our heads. But it's a four star recruit, right okay, and he has an offer from a stacked Kentucky team, or he can go play at Xavier that's a decent like mid major team right now, right, which team does he choose?

What's my offer? Oh?

Well, we're not talking about money. We're just talking about that.

We got to talk about money. I mean, that's the only way I'm going to go to school now, that's what school is going to be. Y, that's what I'm saying. That's seven million a year.

So then you choose. If Xavier is giving you seven million, then you go there.

I mean, it's it depends upon your family and what your family needs.

Right, Like, let's also be honest about.

It, Like you don't think it's playing time has to do it that it's just money.

I mean, well, I'm sure playing time. It's a lot of factors. It's just not money. Right.

But Like, if I come from a broken home, or if I come from a single parent home where my mom is working three jobs to support me, my brother and my sister, I'm probably going to go take the deal.

That's going to give me. We need that, right.

Whereas I come from a dual parenting home and I stable background, I'm going to be able to look at the marketplace and say, you know what, maybe I'll.

Take a couple of million dollars less.

But also I can use that mark by BYU to didn't leverage my situation currently and say, well, they're going to pay me this, what other incentives.

Could you throw on to help me get closer to my mark? Right? But at the end of the day, I want to play with talent.

Yeah, so if nil existed when you were making your decision, you would have chosen anywhere.

That would I did.

But I'm gonna tell you right now, there's no way in hell, I'm two time national player to year, I'm not here my sophomore year. Yeah, my sophomore year I went through so much stuff I got challenged by like I call him the mental Jedi mind.

Trick master of the world. Oh God, Like.

You know, like if you talk about like Star Wars, like the Force, like coach k has a fource home, like.

There would be times he like, you were horrible today.

Here's a disc for you to go home and watch of your thirty worst.

Possessions, And now I have to watch it.

And he's like, I want you to come back in tomorrow and tell me how you fix all thirty of these possessions. And I'll be like, oh my goodness, Okay. So like my freshman year, that learning curve. I don't know if I would have the same patience in today's world. Like I was fourteen right in six and a half,

It is amazing. Also considering it's rare for coach k to really start freshman. Knowing you started all thirty four games your freshman year, that must have meant something.

Yeah.

I mean I also put on the freshman thirty five, like, not freshman ten, freshman like thirty.

I put on thirty five pounds everything.

Oh, I mean it's the best food in Durham.

I mean it was. It was barbecue. Yeah, every night it was bad. It was corn bread, it was grits.

Well, that sounds amazing.

It is amazing, but not when you're playing basketball. You're running three NonStop.

I mean I also live a Carls boozer and he put another freshman thirty five.

But that's not really fair. I mean he's a giant.

Yeah, I mean I think I'm a giant, but I'm just like a tiny person. People.

I'm five four, so you're a giant to me. Thank you, You're welcome. I wanted to give you that.

I can always kind of eat.

Yes you can, so, Jason, you'll see why I did that. Jason, how did you transition to Jay?

I never did.

Really, it wasn't your choice.

No, it just happened.

No, I was getting drafted, and there was an article that broke in the New York Times that said I was changing my name from Jason.

To Jay because I read that you made the decision. But no, it was just all of a sudden, you were Jet.

No, we tried to find who the mole was because we were tinkering around with that idea. But somebody definitely in my camp.

What's wrong with Jason?

There was nothing wrong with Jason.

But there was, like I said before, team right, Well, no, there was Jason Williams who shot his chauffeur and had to go to jail. But also not only that, he got caught outside of a hotel.

And got tasered. There's a lot of things that were going on. There's a lot of conflation in the market place. It seems that way about Jason. So and then there, like I said before, there was white chocolate. Who was the real Jason? Yes?

Yes, okay, So in your rookie season, you had twenty six points fourteen rebounds and thirteen assists in a game against the Nets, which are your hometown team. Insane. Can you take me back to that night and what was going through your head?

Well, we used to run this offense called the triangle okay, which have you ever heard of the triangle offense? Can't say okay?

So the triangle was like the offense of Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Phil Jackson. Those team won championships with right, like Michael Jordan was getting scoring titles for his first several years until they drafted Scotti, pipp and Jerry Krause. But the offense actually created continuity. So also it's offense that Kobe and Shaq won championships. Right, It's built for incredible wings and biggs. It's not built for guards that play fast like Steph.

Curry or d Rose. I want to involve you in a lot of picking rolls.

So literally, we were running that offense every possession, which sucked for me because the ball was out of my hands. So that game against the Nets was the first time I kind of got a little bit rebellious and said screw it, Yeah.

I'm not going to run your offense. I'm just gonna play. It worked and I had driple level. So it was the best one win in my career really. Yeah, because it was against Jason Kidd. Yes, and Jason Kidd is just Jason Kidd a beast. Yeah, it was Jason Kidd. It was Vince Carter. Richard Jefferson, who I just beat a national championship the.

Year before, Sloan Nose alum Richard Jefferson.

There you go. Have you done the interview with r J?

Yeah, yeah, he was one of my first guests.

He's spicy, spicy yeaheah.

You know I can actually ask this. I told him. I was like, thank you so much for doing it, to pay you for being on my podcast. Do you like some of my hair? I said that, damn, And I feel like you may want some too because I have a lot. No.

I feel very secure being oh you being I do. Yeah, I've been bolved before I started losing hair a long time.

Do you think it benefits a basketball game being bald because there's not as much to carry on your hand.

I just it benefits me. I can still do a lot of things, like when I come out of pool, I still throw it back. Really Okay, I still do all the natural emotions as if I had.

What happens then just water like slides off.

Yeah, it's a smooth effect.

I mean in my younger days, before I was married, I had had an interesting effect.

Yeah, I'm sure interesting. You can look and you can use your head as like a mirror. Actually, I've been sort of distracted while we were talking. Is I really like looking at myself? And while we were talking, I keep like looking.

I'm glad I can provide that for so much.

Just wow, that's great giving each other a lot. Okay, so let's talk about the current NBA. I want to hear who's your favorite current NBA player right now?

Shay same so much.

So much?

Yeah I do. I am also starting to love Amen Thompson.

I believe it pronounce a men. I had to go into the microphones. Everyone could hear that I was correcting Jay Williams.

No, that's right.

You can I call him say this is where you should asked me a foo up question.

Oh yeah, Jay and I have spoken about this before for everyone to hear. He's also going to be my new mentor and teacher, so this is also going to be a learning person.

With no stop.

I call him amen, because I really think, like you know, when you go to church and you're like, you're like when something comes a car, like a man man, and that's what you see with him. Like, I know, I've known the twins since they're actually sit on the board of you know, a high school basketball league called Overtime, So I've seen I've seen them for a very long time, and.

I just think that his game is.

I love watching Houston, Like, I just think they're different, they're young, they're fun. So of course you got like Lebron and Janice and you know, like Steph and all these.

Other guys, and I love Shay, but like, I don't know, Amen, Amen.

I saw a quote today from Jalen Green that said that once a man really gets his jump shot down, like it's over and I'm excited.

Problematic for people.

Yeah, and he's so young too. I think there was a man in the Star War to the youngest from their draft class, so they have so much more time to grow into.

The start and something about like, you know, you're doing an interview with a lot of incredibly powerful people that do your job right.

Yeah, when you start feeling comfortable in the room. You're like, oh, I belong in this room too.

And when he gets there, that's what I'm saying.

That's when it's scary.

It's cool to see that with rookies. I feel like sometimes you can see that switch when they really sort of like you're talking about, when you decided to rebel against your team's plan. You can see that sometimes with a rookie where they're like, oh no, like I get this now, like I'm I'm here, I belong here, and that really changes their games.

You got to stress test things, right, You got to see how far you can take it before you got to keep edging and pushing boundaries.

Yeah, all right. Who is the most underrated player in the NBA currently?

I would probably I would probably go for the person that you work with in the podcast, and I've had some pretty I would love to sit down and talk with Dre because I really respect Dre. I think sometimes Dre gets in his own way. I think Dre also, if he were to be reflective, he would say that, yeah, but he is a dog of a competitor and I'm built the same way. Like there's sometimes I get lost in the emotion of things because I'm so in it. Yeah, right, But like he is a floor leader.

He is.

It's really incredible to watch, and I think people always get caught up in all the shenanigans, but they don't see all the details at the level he's able to execute. I think he's the most underrated player in the league.

Yeah, I like that you said that. I mean, because that's who if someone were to ask me the question, that's exactly what I would say. And this may be a bold statement, but I don't believe that there would be a Warrior's dynasty.

But I agree with you.

People don't understand how Seph Curry is not Steph Curry without Draymond Green. Katie's Warriors years are not Katie's Warriors years without Draymond. Clay is not Clay without Draymond. He is the heart of the team. He is the heart and soul. And sure there's been instances where he hasn't, but nine percent of the time he really lifts his whole team up in a way that is rare.

But also like he's he's a savant, right, Like I tell you, I geek out like on basketball terminology, like watching him talk about from Okay, here comes to Iris can cut, you can flaiscan cut like slip it. Like he sees things before they.

Happen, and he makes reads and then he can actually verbalize to people what they should be doing.

Like that does not happen like Lebron can do that. Steph doesn't really do that, right, Dre does that for staff.

I mean he's low key a point guard, which is.

Why I think Dre loves Bron because there aren't people that actually see the game that people can geek out to. Yeah, like Russell Westbrook sees the game, but he's more of a rereact.

And it happens, right, Dreymond sees it before, sees it before it happens. Could you see Draymond becoming a coach easily?

I can see Draymond becoming the next head coach in Michigan State.

Wow, that was actually think he would be perfect for something like that.

Yeah, totally, no, I see that. Yeah, the grit, that's definitely Dre's vibe. Okay, next up, who do you think was the biggest twenty five All Star snub? LaMelo Tree, Young, Devin Booker, just to list a few.

I mean, Trey is always going to be that person for me to a degree because it's.

Just a situation.

Yeah, Like it's an unfortunate but it's like he always gets discounted, even though I think he puts up numbers, but it doesn't.

Translate yeah as much.

Yeah, I will tell you though, Like I would say, that's my biggest nump.

I'm really happy that Tyler made it.

Tyler Herro, Yeah, that's a cool one, like.

Because he his game has always been that. But there's all like the Jimmy Butler saga that just exactly overshadows how good Tyler is. So those are probably I've seen.

Tyler play in person two games this season, and he is a sniper, Like he is a catch and shoot demon, Like I haven't seen someone catching and shoot like that since Clay On, like Clay's prime. He's amazing, And I agree, like there's you get caught up in that a lot of the time. People don't realize that there's more to a team than just their superstar. And I feel like there's so many players like that that are now getting their shots. So that's cool to see.

I agree.

And also I think Eric Sposer is probably one of the best coaches, if not the best coach in the league.

So it's like the.

Combination of like how he's been able to like unleash. Yeah, like that's a real thing. Like people like, oh, like Jay, you're a top pick, you should just go into the NBA and question I'm like, well, actually, my head coach doesn't give me a vehicle for me to crush it with their offense.

Yeah, because someone needs to give you that opportunity.

Yeah, and player development and how people break you into that is everything totally.

Okay, So Jay, can you give me your duke all time starting five? I know you've answered this question so many times, but I need to hear it now on slow notes.

All right, So who this is tough?

Also, feel free to name guys that you want to come off the bench for. Very inclusive.

So this is like a top eight okay, Okay, So like one file up question is this, like who I want to go into battle with? Or like, who are the all time greatest that I would.

Associating all time greats?

Yeah, where you gotta start off with Christian Layner? Of course, I think lad is there. I would say, I would.

You can obviously put yourself.

Grant Hill Grant Hills there, mm hmm. I'm gonna put me in there. I'm gonna go jj just because I think we we talk a lot of tracks to each other.

But I would just love to be in the same backward. This is a tough one. This is this is really this is tough. I'd probably go maybe Jason Tatum. Wow mm hmmm, go Jason Tatum, and I would have Paolo, I would have Kyrie, and I would have Coop.

Come off the bench knowing that, I mean, he's as Newton finished his rookie year and you're already putting him there. That's saying something.

I think that's special. Now, let's talk about some of the players I made it from right.

Zion.

I love Zion, but like you know, like his career, that's my dude's durability.

I need that. Who else I leave off? Jabari Parker, Danny Ferry. I'm okay.

I'm comfortable with you as well.

I think we're I think we're.

It's crazy too, because there's so many guys that if there's so many times that we could have had this conversation where we would have thought there was a like take a Jalil Okafort like five years ago his college year, we would be saying like, oh, we think he was going to be in that conversation really doesn't happen. There's a lot of people like that. I mean, Justice Windle.

I don't think people recognize like like when you when you're a freshman, right, like the one that had done arra is interesting, Like I'll tell you that the biggest difference in my freshman sophomore, Like my freshman year, nobody really saw me coming. Yeah, right, So like I then became the person on the skatal report. But like I game momentue, like when you're come back as that player to then like exceed expectations when defenses are specifically outlining their scattering

So what factor that into it?

Yeah, no, that's interesting for sure. Okay, So who is an underrated all time duke player that you don't think it's a lot of love. People don't talk about a lot.

I'll say Shane Mattier.

I think it's just because I think Shane did all the dirty things defensively that nobody ever really sees nor do people care. Like, we're going to highlight driven society, so like when you wake up in the morning you want to watch hoops, Like you go to your phone, You're going to all the different highlights of games that happen. Like they don't show the strips, they don't show the rotations in the week's ig. They know sort of communication

There's so many That's.

What I'm saying though, And that's why JJ and Lebron's podcast was so dope. Right, Like when you're actually sitting down and you're hearing all the specific terminology, all the tactical maneuvers like and how that's being executed while you're running five and a half miles, like in a twelve minute quarter, maybe to become ten minute quarters.

We'll see soon. Like that's not easy to.

Do, No, it is all right. So lastly, I want to end with two fun sections. So first we're gonna go with a rapid fire, and then we're gonna do some j Williams trivia and we're gonna see how well you know yourself. So starting off with the rapid fire. Other than Cameron, what is your favorite college basketball arena?

Oh, Dean Smith Center. I used to light their asses up, so you like it? Just because I feel like I just went off into a different place.

I feel like I just cursed.

I'm not sure.

It's like the Kobe Mama thing just happened. I'm sorry if I curse, and I'm not allowed to curse.

I'm sorry setting up except for the children. J gosh, the children. Yeah, we'll believe it. We'll bleep it. Sorry, we'll put like a nice little like unicorn, sound.

Like put like like me and the Kobe is like all right?

In five years, who will be the face of the league? And why.

Five years?

Who is the face of the league and why I it's toughness.

Not I mean it's gonna be Wimby.

I mean I have a I have a media company slash management company with Giannis, And like I watched them battle the other night.

That was crazy, and.

Like they're not too many people on this planet where I'm like, ah, like their size, their length is gonna give g A a problem.

That dude gives g A a problem.

Did you see that one highlight where like Wemby is sort of in the corner and he's like spitting around and he just sort of like throws throws it up.

And it's like what it's what?

And look like you got to imagine for me too, Like I am specifically jaded by people like this, Like my sophomo year, I could leave score earlier. Andone's like, hey, you're gonna be the first pick in the draft. The Washington Wizards are the first pick in the draft. Michael Jordan. You and Jordan the same team. I'm like, I'm like, this is so incredible.

You know.

Coach k is like, look, I think you need to come back to school, be the first player to graduate Duke in three years, and you.

Need to learn how to lead a team.

I'm like, okay, I'll come back, and I come back.

I'm like, I'm gonna be the first pick in the draft.

And all of a sudden, guy's like, here comes a seven six Chinese person, you know, and it's gonna be voted into All Star every year. I'm like, come on, really, out of all the years, that's like the fact that this dude is like seven six seven seven, but can shoot.

Threes and can move like that. Come on, come on, yeah, it's over. He's gonna be the face.

Yeah, totally. What is the best sports city in the country, overall sports city.

Overall sports cittery, I mean, football kind of rules for me, so like if they three p it has to be Kansas City. Yeah, just and this is football just drives

And I mean, I hate to say it, but it's now brought in so many different fandoms, Like take Taylor switch On fandom. Now everyone is a Chiefs fan.

So you think Travis Kelsey will continue to be as popular if they break up?

Okay, well, if he goes into like a like a little revenge area and she starts writing like breakup songs and he starts like going off and like in the end zone doing some like celebrations, I actually think that would be cool.

It depends on how they It depends on how.

They it was just like a mutual like, oh, we love each other so much, we just are in different places in life, like and then that's like a SOB story. But if it's like they're both trying to like be like vengeful, I think that that's sort of a vibe.

Yeah, okay, not the self yeah, vengeful vibe.

Okay, Jay, what is your favorite podcast? There's a pretty obvious answer here.

I mean it's slow, no, yeah, okay, I mean like I mean I I kind of geek outs and be like Malcolm Gladwell and other things so that sort.

But like, let's just forget about.

Like basketball podcasts. It's only you.

No, I didn't even know there was other basketball podcasts. I know, I'd never heard of that. I didn't know there was other podcasts. I thought it was the first ever.

Well you're not only the first, your first and only?

Yeah, first and only. Okay, great, I'm glad.

We should be the name of the podcast, the.

First and only ever an eternity podcast.

And then no, I wouldn't even call it a podcasts simulcast.

It's time, yes, okay, but we should call it b l before Lebron. I don't know this al this is after Lebron.

Is after Lebron. Already he's still playing.

Well I know, but like he's forty now, it doesn't count. Oh no, d during Lebron during Lebron.

THEO has different meanings as well.

Yeah, okay, sorry, I let's let's.

Come back and readdress something like this post forty thing. We gotta and we're gonna be brothers just so we gotta we gotta work on this, okay, Like forty is the new thirty.

Oh cool? So wait, so then seventeen is the new Does that mean sent to the new ten?

It doesn't work that way when you're below twenty and you're just start getting a yeah. But you're entering like the Taylor Swift full woman stage of life. You're you're you're coming into that.

Oh, thank you. So when you like, you just become Taylor Swift, I'm confused.

No, No, you will.

Yeah, when you become Taylor Swift of the podcast industry. And see how I did that? How are you going to continue to make the podcast happen when you're here at Duke.

Oh gosh, love this foreshadowing, Jay, Thank you so much. Well, I think that we can do. First off, we then that means we can talk to each other even more.

I just want to I just want to be a part owner of it.

Oh, I can help you.

I can talk to team about that.

You can talk to Draymond, you know. But no, I think like what would be really cool and my goal and my hope is is that Duke has such an incredible sports culture and that I'm able to really continue to show that to the world and interview athletes from various incredible programs. I mean, there aren't many schools out there that really excel in every single sport like Duke does.

Be a little bit more history and homework he does due diligence.

But if you know, the recruiting classes keep looking like this and John Shire keeps just killing it with the five stars, I mean, this is going to be a pretty fire podcast.

I got you.

I'm also thinking outside just to Duke Lane, I'm thinking about like the national landscape, like if you're going to become the Oprah for sports entertainment, like we need to start focusing on a larger cast of a net.

Let's do it. I'm so excited. So that leads me into my final question, Jay, if I want to nominate it, sorry, if you could nominate a slow nose guest, who would it be? And can you help me get the guest?

Yeah, I would say that needs to be Stepaniis.

Oh yeah, I mean that that would be like my goals.

Yes, I think they would I also think it's really cool to see when you hit a certain level of celebrity, like the new celebrity will become anonymity, right, Like everybody wants to showcase everything now, and the more you learn how to start being discreet, it will give you more power in the marketplace.

Otherwise known as nonchalant.

Well, I mean, no, no, I think.

I think, Okay, I don't mean to call you an older person, but you're older than me, so I didn't that as an older than me person. I feel like older than me people don't fully get the meaning of nonchalant because my definition of nonchalant is like how you're explaining it, like I'm still like, you know what I mean, Like you just have to be discreet, like not let people know your every move, but still come out. And when you come out, you're powerful, you know what I'm saying.

I mean I kind of knew what a nonchalant meant. No, No, I feel like mumb cavalarry is pretty extensive.

It is actually like half the words you said, I had no idea what you meant, But I just pretended like I did. Oh that's the improm Do you think I'm a good actor?

That's what that's I do?

Thank you, because I was acting. I had no idea half the words you were saying.

You ready want to play a game? Oh, let's play a level up game.

I say a word, you give me another word that comes off that word, and we keep going into somebody messes up?

Okay?

You ready? Okay? Okay? Chair?

Table stand?

How does chair work with table?

Well? You wait? Okay, can you re explain the rules? No?

I just want to see where you go next?

How does chair work with table?

Okay? That's another one.

Every word I say, you have to build off of that word, all right, So we're gonna build off it.

We're going to create a story.

Okay, Right, So I'll say a word, then you give me a story off that word real quick, and then I'll give you another story off your story.

We'll keep going. You ready, chair.

Would chopping wood, timber, chopping wood in.

Its fall, building a cabin, sleeping in the cabin, fireplace in the cabin, roasting marshmallows, camping, Shazowsky, Bill Duke.

See how we go see everything. Yeah, that's how we go. That's how we am.

Go. Blue Devils baby bye everyone. Thanks for listening to this episode of Sloan Notes. You can get links to my socials and see behind the scenes fun from Jay and I in the show notes, or just search at Sloan Notes on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Remember that's Sloan to the knee.